Israel foreign minister says peace deal impossible

MIDEAST

Daniel Estrin, Associated Press

Published 4:00 am, Monday, December 27, 2010

Israel's foreign minister said Sunday a peace deal with the Palestinians is impossible under current conditions and that Israel should pursue a lesser deal instead - a concept the Palestinians swiftly rejected.

The latest diplomatic spat between the two sides came as violence along the Israel-Gaza border simmered. After days of Palestinian rocket attacks on southern Israel and Israeli air strikes in response, Israeli soldiers killed two Palestinians on the border early Sunday.

Avigdor Lieberman, the Israeli foreign minister, told a group of Israeli diplomats that instead of a full peace deal, Israel should seek a long-term, interim agreement on security and economic matters.

"It's not only that it is impossible" to reach an overall agreement, he said. "It is simply forbidden."

Lieberman said the West Bank Palestinian Authority is "not legitimate" because it has postponed elections. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas remains in office though his term expired almost a year ago, and there is no date for a new election.

Lieberman is known for expressing hard-line views that don't always represent Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who says he seeks a negotiated, final peace deal with the Palestinians. A statement from Netanyahu's office said Lieberman's comments reflect "his personal positions," not those of the government.

Peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority broke down in September after an Israeli freeze on settlement construction expired.

The Palestinians say they will not negotiate as long as Israel builds homes for Jews in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, lands the Palestinians claim for a future state.

U.S. mediators have returned to indirect talks to seek a way out of the impasse.

Palestinian Authority spokesman Ghassan Khatib rejected Lieberman's comments, saying most world governments - including Israel's - recognize the Palestinian Authority as legitimate. He said the Palestinians would not accept an interim agreement.